THIS INVENTION relates to a clip fastening system. The invention is particularly, but not solely, directed to the use of clip-like fittings to fasten metal wall sheets to top and bottom rails of a frame, to thereby facilitate the assembly and erection of prefabricated small structures or buildings such as garden sheds, garages, shadehouses, aviaries and the like.
Many small structures, such as garden sheds, storage sheds, cubby houses, etc., are sold in kit form for assembly by the customer. The assembly or erection of such structures usually requires the customer to fasten wall sheets to frame components, such as top and bottom rails. Such components are normally fastened together by rivets or screws.
The screwing or riveting of wall sheets is tedious and time consuming. Such methods of fastening may also require two persons, one to hold the components in place, and the other to screw or rivet them together. Furthermore, many customers do not have a rivet gun readily available. For the foregoing and other reasons, potential customers are often deterred from buying garden sheds and other structures which they have to assemble themselves.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,651 describes a method of constructing a wall frame for a building in which vertical frame members (studs) are secured to horizontal frame members (plates) by clips or brackets and deformations formed in the plates. Although this method avoids the use of screws and rivets, it requires separate locking clips 18. Furthermore, although the method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,651 is suitable for fixing frame members to each other, the wall sheets must still be fixed to the studs and plates by screwing or riveting.
It is an object of this invention to provide a clip fastening system which facilitates and/or expedites the assembly and erection of small structures, or which at least provides a competitive alternative to known erection/assembly systems.
In one form, the invention provides a method of fixing a generally planar wall member to an elongate frame member of a small metal building, including the steps of
providing a plurality of clip-like fittings at spaced locations along the frame member, each clip-like fitting having a resilient detent,
providing a plurality of apertures adjacent an edge portion of the wall member at spaced locations corresponding to the clip-like fittings, and
fixing the wall member to the frame member by inserting the edge portion into the clip-like fittings such that the detents of the clip-like fittings locate respectively in the apertures and thereby captively retain the wall member to the frame member.
In another form, the invention provides an assembly for constructing a small metal building, including
at least one elongate frame member,
a plurality of clip-like fittings attached or attachable to the frame member at spaced locations along its length, each clip-like fitting having at least one resilient detent, and
at least one generally planar wall member having a plurality of apertures adjacent an edge portion thereof at spaced locations corresponding to the clip-like fittings on the frame member,
whereby the edge portion is insertible in the clip-like fittings to cause the detents to locate respectively in the apertures and captively retain the wall member to the frame member.
Throughout this specification, where the context permits, the term xe2x80x9csmall metal buildingxe2x80x9d shall include a garden shed, storage shed, garage, shadehouse, cubbyhouse, aviary or similar structure.
The frame member is typically a U-shaped channel section which may serve as a top or bottom rail of the frame. The wall member is typically a side wall of the structure, e.g. formed of roll-formed metal sheet. Normally, the bottom edge of the side wall is first fastened to a bottom rail of the frame in a push-lock action, and then a top rail is fastened to the top of the side wall in a similar manner.
In one embodiment of the invention, each clip-like fitting is formed separately from the frame element, but attachable thereto. The clip-like fitting comprises a generally U-shaped body having two spaced opposing sides, at least one side having a resiliently flexible detent extending inwardly towards the other side.
More preferably, one side of the U-shaped body has two spaced riser portions, each having an inwardly directed pawl-like detent. This detent is typically formed integrally with the fitting, by pressing and deforming a tab in each riser portion. The other side of the U-shaped body has a single riser portion located between the two riser portions on the opposite sides. The single riser portion has a hook-like fitting at the top thereof.
In this embodiment, slots are provided in the channel-shaped frame member at the predetermined spaced locations to receive the clip-like fittings. The riser portions of each clip-like fitting are inserted through slots formed in the frame member, and the hook-like formation retains the clip-like fitting to the frame member.
Apertures are provided adjacent an associated edge of the side wall at locations corresponding to the detents on the clip-like fitting. When the edge portion of the side wall is inserted between the frame member and the clip-like fitting, the detents locate in the apertures, and prevent the side wall from being pulled out of engagement with the frame member. Hence, a side wall can be manually fastened to a frame element in a simple xe2x80x9cpush lockxe2x80x9d manoeuvre.
In another embodiment, each clip-like fitting is formed integrally with the channel-shaped frame member by pressing a flap outwardly from a side wall of the frame member, and forming an inwardly directed detent on the flap. When an edge portion of side wall having apertures at predetermined locations thereon is inserted between the side wall of the frame member and the flap, the detents on the flaps locate in respective apertures, and prevent the side wall from being pulled out of engagement with the frame.
Advantageously, an outwardly-directed detent is formed in the side wall of the frame member between each pair of flaps which each have an inwardly directed detent. The three detents locate in corresponding apertures in the edge portion of a side panel when the edge portion of the side panel is fastened to the frame, the oppositely directed detents providing secure retention of the side wall to the frame.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the frame member is an upright post of the frame, and the clip-like fittings are provided at vertically spaced locations on the post. The wall member is a side panel which spans between posts and is fastened to the clip-like fittings on the posts in a push-lock action.
In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practice, preferred embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.